'We had no internet and no mobile signal for seven weeks': How to survive if you're waiting for broadband

Despite Government promises to make fast broadband a legal right, many families are still waiting weeks for internet access when they move home – or for repairs when there is disruption to their service.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron said last year that access to the internet ‘should be a right absolutely fundamental to life in 21st Century Britain’. But despite this pledge, hundreds of people are left waiting for internet access in their homes more than a month after they have requested it.

The delays can be laid at the door of Openreach, a subsidiary of BT which installs new lines for all copper wire-based broadband.

End of the line: BT’s Openreach should install broadband in 12 working days

- Recent performance figures show that the average wait time for those needing an engineer to install a broadband line is more than 12 working days – nine days if an engineer is not needed.

- More than one per cent of all new lines requested are still not in place a month after the agreed installation date.

- Delays can lead to homeowners relying on expensive mobile phone broadband and breaches to mobile data limits. It can also cause disruption for those who work from home and rely heavily on the internet.

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HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP

- Openreach says current delays are a result of ‘higher than expected work levels’, ‘severe weather’ and ‘other local circumstances’.

- It argues that its service is ‘on track to meet or exceed the higher service level standards set for us by Ofcom this year’ which require Openreach to install broadband within 12 working days as a minimum service level target.

Customers facing delays cannot speak to Openreach directly. It refers them back to their internet service provider. This is despite the fact that provider PlusNet admits all companies are ‘wholly reliant’ on Openreach to install their lines and fix faults in a timely manner.

'We had no internet and no mobile signal – it was like being back in the 90s'

Lucy Sims waited seven weeks to have broadband installed in her new home – despite informing provider BT well in advance.

She says: ‘The broadband was supposed to be installed the day after we moved in, but the engineer who turned up said we needed someone else to come.’

After this initial disappointment, Lucy, a part-time art conservator and mother of one-year-old son Leo, was told several dates for connection. On one occasion, an engineer turned up unannounced while she was out.

Lucy, 31, from near Farnham in Surrey, and husband Matt, a teacher, were also unable to use their mobiles in the house because they had no coverage.

Lucy adds: ‘It was like being back in the 1990s when people had to phone me on the landline.’

Eventually, the problem was sorted but Lucy says that both she and Matt went over their data limits during the time that they were waiting, which cost them extra money.

On Friday, a BT spokesman said: ‘We’re sorry for the delay in installing the Sims’ broadband. This was caused by mistakes we made in their original order and in a replacement order.’

It also credited them with £30 for a wireless dongle to use while they were waiting for service, gave them two months’ free broadband and reduced the cost of their broadband to £10 a month for 12 months (from £22).

Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at price comparison website uSwitch, says: ‘For those who rely on the internet to work from home, or those who just like to unwind in front of Netflix after a long day, it can feel like an interminable wait for broadband to be installed when you’ve just moved in.

‘Providers usually estimate around two weeks from the point of sale to get your broadband up and running. But there are issues that can slow this down – such as if you need a new BT home phone line installed, or if you are signed up to Virgin and your property has yet to be connected to its fibre optic network.’

AVOID THE LONG WAIT

There are steps you can take to ensure you are not left unconnected for too long, either when switching provider or moving house.

If you are switching services, but staying in the same property, the transfer should take around two weeks, but there should be only an hour or two of service disruption.

If you are moving home, the disruption may be greater and your new line may require an engineer visit, which is when long delays can occur.

Kate Devine, home services expert at comparison website MoneySupermarket, says that giving a minimum three to four weeks’ notice of your home move should ensure your provider gets an Openreach engineer to you promptly. She also says that waits can be longer at certain times of year – for example, January and September.

For those who sign up for a particularly good deal, the wait can be longer as well, so it pays to plan for delay.

If you are just switching providers, the worst thing you can do is cancel your current service. If you do this, the line will no longer be active and this could cause extra disconnection and reconnection charges and delays getting your new service up and running.

Even if you are moving home, cancelling your existing service may not be the best policy. In many cases you can port an existing contract to a new home, avoiding cancellation charges and it may also make the transfer smoother.

Short-term alternatives include using your mobile to tether your computer

SURVIVE IN THE INTERIM

Despite taking precautionary steps, many families still find they are left with a period of broadband disconnection following a house move or fault.

Short-term alternatives include using your mobile to tether your computer – which means you use the data on your mobile contract to create a broadband connection to your computer.

Not all contracts allow tethering, and it can quickly use up a data allowance. You could also use a mobile dongle on a one-month contract – if you are just using one computer – or a mobile wi-fi unit (known as MiFi) if you have several devices.

Vodafone currently offers a one- month MiFi contract costing £15 or £20, depending on data usage. There is also a £45 upfront cost and you pay for any extra data you use. These deals can prove expensive for heavy users.

You can also make friends with your neighbour and ask to share their connection if their wi-fi signal is strong enough.

DEAL WITH DELAYS

If the date you are given for broadband installation is weeks away, or an appointment gets cancelled, you should complain to your provider.

Ofcom regulates all providers, as well as Openreach, and requires them to comply with certain standards. It also requires Openreach to hit certain targets for installation times.

The regulator expects all providers to tell you, at the point of sale, the likely date that the service will be provided. If you feel your provider is not playing ball you can make a formal complaint, initially via the company’s customer services department.

If the problem is not resolved, then escalate it to an ‘alternative dispute resolution’ scheme. Your provider must say which scheme it is a member of. The Ofcom website – ofcom.org.uk – provides useful details on progressing complaints.